The Federated Students of McLennan and Redpath won an injunction against the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning (McGill University) after a protracted series of court hearings. The injunction, granted by the Quebec Superior Court, curtails noise levels during study hours in the McLennan and Redpath libraries.

“This is a huge victory,” said Federated Students’ Viceroy, Daniel Chalmers. Chalmers cited numerous instances of drilling in areas adjacent to the library as well as the excessively loud conversation of professional movers as they passed through the Redpath Library complex.

U5 Arts student Bohdan Bohdan corroborated: “Just when a good idea came to you, the real crux of your argument, the sounds of power tools arrived and drilled your thesis away. I had to move to Ferrier.”

The University rejected the Québec Superior Court’s decision. “This was emergency maintenance,” said Vice-Principal Moe Tron. “It’s just how organizations operate. Although annoying, students should understand that this work is in there best interest. The injunction really hampers our ability to maintain those libraries.”

Chalmers was dismissive: “some of this work was going on in the heart of last semester’s exam season.” Then, he adopted an air of magnanimity: “despite the court delays, I’m truly vindicated. We had trouble organizing the petition at first because we were all so busy with exams. But, students can now study in peace.”

Or maybe not. “We’ve still got a long way to go,” he mused. “We could go after Frosh’s activities on Lower Field next. Or people who talk in the stacks.”

One commentator alluded to the movement’s ultimate significance: “perhaps this signals a sea change in the university’s student movement. We have this idea of young student leaders focused on the social or the political – pub-nights or protests, essentially. The Federated Students of McLennan and Redpath mark a return to the basic problems of academic life in troubled economic times.”

Whatever the case, January’s influx of drunken Carnival students may prove to be the Federated Students’ next litmus test.

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